Latest NewsJapan's Foreign Policy under the New Administration(Washington D.C.) October 29–The new Japanese administration will stress U.S.-Japan Alliance management issues and regional cooperation in its foreign policy priorities. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar co-sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA and Hokkaido University’s Global COE Program, Professor Akihiro Iwashita, director of the Slavic Research Center at Hokkaido University, and Professor Nobumasa Akiyama, associate professor at Hitotsubashi University and adjunct research fellow for the Center for the Promotion of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), discussed the policies of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) administration and the changing regional environment that will shape Japan’s foreign policies....more... |
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Microfinance as a Tool for Community Development
“To truly empower women there should be more to microfinance than just lending money,” emphasized Kalpana Sankar, CEO of Hand in Hand in Tamil Nadu, at an EWC public program in September. “You have to provide literacy, address enterprise, financial services and linkage to markets.” Sankar spoke of the importance of self-help support groups, which when combined with microfinance and education and training workshops, have mobilized more than 400,000 poor and illiterate women in southern India through Hand in Hand’s programs. Started in 1988 with a handful of employees, the NGO now is a global organization with 3,000 employees, 30,000 volunteers, and pilot programs in South Africa, Afghanistan, and Brazil. Co-presenter Kathleen Stack, Freedom from Hunger’s Vice President for program development, discussed how her organization develops programs and partnerships that provide financial, educational, and health protection services to fight chronic hunger and poverty in 16 countries. Based in California, Freedom from Hunger’s programs empower more than 1.4 million women through training in capacity building and skills development, so they can provide sustainable livelihoods for their families. Stack and Sankar were among 11 participants in this year’s EWC Changing Faces Women’s Leadership Program, a seminar that brings together women from Asia, the Pacific, and the United States to enhance leadership abilities and address issues of concern related to a theme. This year’s theme focused on how women as entrepreneurs can foster economic growth and strengthen and build communities. Video: Click here to watch the full presentation. FEATURED PUBLICATIONSby Alice D. Ba U.S. Territorial Policy: Trends and Current Challenges by Allen P. Stayman Social Policy at a Crossroads: Trends in Advanced Countries and Implications for Korea by Sang-Hyop Lee, Andrew Mason, and Kwang-Eon Sul (eds.) More publications... FEATURED SITESTime for Justice, Cambodia Asia Matters for America EWCA Blog |
